Interoperability

Interoperability means the ability of systems or processes to work together and is the conceptual basis of systems integration. Achieving interoperability involves two or more systems agreeing a common protocol to exchange information. In more modern systems, this tends to be using technologies such as XML. The degree to which applications can easily integrate with each other depends on how detailed the protocol for communication is. There are a wide range of interoperability protocols used in Digital Asset Management, particularly in the area of exchanging metdata. A more common interoperability standard that has been widely adopted in the past is the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) schema.